Disrupting Japan

Disrupting Japan gives you candid, in-depth insights from the startup founders, VCs, and leaders who are reshaping Japan.

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Foreign founders are changing how Japanese start startups

Posted July 21, 202500:34:13

For the last 150 years Japan has made a science of borrowing the best ideas from the West and transforming them into her own. The startup world is no...

What it’s really like to be a female VC in Japan

Posted June 23, 202500:38:58

Progress is not only slower in Japan, it is often different. Looking at the numbers, it's clear that venture capital is even more male-dominated in...

Startup success hinges on enterprise innovation

Posted May 26, 202500:40:18

American startups dominate the current innovation cycle not as a result of startup innovation, but of enterprise innovation. Today we sit down with...

Senpai culture is killing innovation in Japan

Posted April 28, 202500:43:49

Fifteen years ago, University-run venture funds were all but illegal here in Japan, but today a higher percentage of major Japanese universities have...

How to build a successful startup community

Posted April 14, 2025

(sketch by Kaori Rei)Today we are going to sit down with an old friend. It was over seven years ago when I first had Tim Rowe on the podcast, and we...